Electric fluid-heater.



H. W. DENHARD.

ELECTRIC FLUID HEATER.

APPLICATloN FILED Nov. 15. 1911. RENEWED DEC. 20, 1915.

1,21 9,265. Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

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rUNITED STATES EATENT OFFICE.

HARRY W. BENI-IARD, OE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THECUTLER- HAMMER MFG. CO., OF MILWAUKEE, VJISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OFWISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC FLUID-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

Application led November 15, 1911, Seria-1 No. 660,370. Renewed December20, 1915. Serial No. 67,956.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatLIIAnRv W. DnNHARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia., have invented new and useful Improvements in ElectricFluid-Heaters, of which the following is a full, clear, concise,andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to electric fluid heaters and regulatorstherefor. It is especially adapted for electric heaters of the typewherein the fluid forms part of the circuit and is heated by the passageof the current through the same.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved electricfluid heater and a regulator therefor.

Another object is'to provide a regulator which will render the heateradapted to heat liquids of different specific resistance to any desiredtemperature. l

Another object is to provide a compact regulator which will occupylittle space in the heater and which at the same time will be readilyaccessible foradjustment.

Other objects and advantages of my in vention will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one form which my inventionmay assume in practice.V My invention is not, however, limited to thisform.

In the views of these drawings:

lFigure 1 shows a central longitudinal section through a heater. ,l

Fig. 2 shows a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of one of the tubes used in this form ofregulator.

Fig. A shows a side elevation of another tube used in this form ofregulator.

Theiiuid heater is provided with carbon electrodes 1 inclosed in atubular metallic receptacle or casing 2. Two sets of electrodes areprovided, one positive and the other negative. The electrodes aresuitably spaced apart from each other and from the casing and they havetheir ends received by suitable conducting blocks 3 and insulatingblocks 4. Terminal connections for the electrodes are provided at theupper ends of the casing. .The bottom of the casing has an inlet opening5 therein and adjacent said opening, but separated therefrom by adiaphragm, is an outlet opening 6.

A chamber is providedin one side 9 of the casing in which. tubes 7 and 8are located. These tubes communicate with the outlet opening and arearrangedto form an outlet passage from the exterior of the receptacle tothe outlet opening.v The tubes are preferably long and narrow and extendlongitudinally throughout the entire length of the receptacle.- The tube8 is-arranged to rotate within the tube 7 as will hereinafter bedescribed. The tube 7 is ixed in the casing. It has a longitudinal slot11 therein which communicates with the interior of the receptacle. Thetube 8 is provided with a spirally Y arranged seri-es of openings 12which cooperate with the slot 11 in tube 7 as the tube ld is rotated. Itwill be understood that a spirally arranged slot may be used if desired.

The tube 8 is also provided with a relatively large opening 13 which isadapted to coperate with the corresponding opening 14 in the tube 7, sothat when the receptacle is practically filled with fluid, a relativelylarge passage is provided the size of which may be regulated to controlthe flow.

The tube 8 is rotated byv means of a threaded stud 15 which is carriedby the top 10 of the casing and arranged to be rotated from the exteriorthereof.

When the regulator is assembled, as shown in Fig. 1, the slot 11 in tube7 is arranged to communicate directly with the interior of the casing 2and one or more of the perforations 19. or a portion of the slot, ifthis is used, is opposite the slot 11. Thus an opening is formed throughthe tubes, which permits the water in the casing to pass out and down tothe outlet 6. The height of this opening determines the height which thewater in the casing may'reach. By suitably adjusting the inner tube Swithin the tube 7 so that any predetermined one or more of its openingsmay coincide with the slot in the outer tube 7 this water level may bevaried as desired, and the heater adapted to heat liquids of differentresistance, since it is a well known fact that the resistance developedis inversely proportional to the cross section of' the conductor.Therefore, by varying the amount of water through which the currentpasses, the heater may be so adjusted as to operate at its maximumefficiency upon liquids of widely diierent resistances and to heat thewater to any desired degree.

In the construction in Fig. 17 the carbonelectrodes 1 are arranged in aplurality of concentric series so that the fluid in the casing acts tocomplete the circuit through the electrodes. One or more rods 16 are soaranged that they serve not only to support the electrodes but toprovide terminal connections at one end ot the same. In Fig. 1 thecentral rod is provided with a threaded upper end and a threaded lowerend. The threaded lower end carries the lowerironducting plate 3, whichin turn carries the insulating block or plate l1 in which certain of theelectrodes are seated. The upper threaded end ol the rod extends throughthe upper insulating plate Li and the upper conducting plate 3 to theoutside of the top plate 10 and is insulated from the conducting plate 3by a suitable insulating sleeve 17. Suitable means 18 for connecting theend of a conductor are carried upon the threaded end which extendsbeyond the cover 10. Obviously another rod may be connected in a similarmanner at the side of the heater so that the terminal connections forthe heater may be at the top of the same. If desired, the terminalconnections may be inclosed in a suitable cap or cover 19 of any desiredshape. A very sturdy structure is thus provided wherein the electrodesare prevented from jarring and breaking when the heater is roughly used,and in which the terminal connections may be conveniently made.

It will thus be seen that a fluid heater has been provided in which Vtheamount of fluid acting as a conductor between the electrodes may bereadily varied so that the heater will operate efliciently to heatfluids of any specific resistance to any desired temperature. The fluidmay be continuously passed through the heater and the amount of heatimparted to the fluid readily controlled. The regulator for the heateris inclosed within the heater casing and it occupies a small amount ofspace so that the apparatus as a whole may be made very compact andneat. The structure is rugged and may therefore be handled roughlywithout damaging the parts or getting them out of adjustment. Theterminal connections are conveniently located and neatly covered so asto present an unobtrusive appearance and at the same time are readilyaccessible. The structure thus constitutes a neat, compact andconvenient means for heating fluids of any kind. This means isconstructed so that it may be quickly adjusted to secure a maximumefficiency under a wide variation of conditions.

It should, of course, be understood that the structure shown is forpurposes ot illustration only and that other structures may be devisedwhich embody the invention and which come within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is as follows:

1. An electric fluid heater con'rprising a receptacle provided with aninlet and an outlet opening, electric heating means within saidreceptacle, and means within said receptacle communicating with theoutlet opening and rotatably adjustable from the outside oif thereceptacle for regulating the height of the fluid in the receptaclewhereby the heater may be readily adjusted to oper-4 ate at lnaxinnuuellicienry lor fluids ol diliferent specilie resistance.

2. An electrirf: lluid heater comprising a tubular receptacle having aninlet opening near the bottom thereof', a plurality oi. electrodeslongitudinally disposed'vr'ithin said receptacle and adapted to beelectrically connected by the fluid in the rcceptacle, and means withinthe receptacle communicating with the outlet opening therein, said meansbeing longitudinally disposed within the rcceptacle and rotatablyadjustable from the exterior thereof to regulate the height of the fluidin the receptacle, whereby the heater may be adjusted to operate atmaximum efficiency tor fluids of different specific resistance.

3. An electric fluid heater comprising a receptacle provided with aninlet and an outlet opening', a plurality of positive and negativeelectrodes within said receptacle and a pair of tubes, one within theother, in said receptacle, said tubes communicating with the outletopening and each having openings therein adapted to coperate to form apassage communicating with the interior of the receptacle, the one ofsaid tubes being adjustable relative to the other so that the height ofsaid passage above tl bottom of the receptacle may be regulated.

4. An electric fluid heater comprising a tubular receptacle having aninlet opening near the bottom thereof, a plurality of positive andnegative electrodes longitudinally disposed in said receptacle, a pairof tubes, one within the other, longitudinally disposed in thereceptacle and communicating with an outlet opening therein, said tubeshaving coperating openings therein adapted to -form a passagecommunicating with the interior of the receptacle, one of said tubesbeing adjustable relative to the other from the exterior of thereceptacle to vary the location of Vthe passage to y, gulate the heightof vthe fluid flowing through said receptacle whereby the heater may beadjusted to operate at maximum efficiency.

5. An electric fluid heater comprising a tubular receptacle having aninlet opening near the bottom thereof, a plurality of positive andnegative electrodes longitudinally disposed within said receptacle, atube longitudinally disposed within said receptacle and communicatingwith an outlet opening therein, said tube having a longitudinal slottherein, asecond tube within the first having a series of spirallyarranged openings therein adapted to successively register with the slotin the first tube, means operative from the exterior of the receptaclefor adjusting the position of the second tube relative to the firstwhereby the heater may be regulated to operate at maximum efliciency forfluids of different specific resistance.

G. An electric fluid heat-er comprising a tubular receptacle having aninlet opening, a removable cover for said receptacle, a plurality ofpositive and negative electrodes disposed longitudinally in saidreceptacle and carried by said cover, means adjustable from the exteriorof the receptacle and disposed along one side of the interior thereofand communicating with an outlet opening therein for regulating theheight of the fluid flowing through said heater whereby the heater maybe adjusted to operate at maximum efhciency.

7. n electric fluid heater comprising a tubular casing having an inletopening near the bottom thereof, electric heating means within thecasing and means disposed along one side of the casing and rotatablyadjustable from the exterior thereof for regulating the height of thefluid in said receptacle.

S. An electric heater for heating a flowing communicating with theoutlet opening and rotatably adjustable from the exterior of thereceptacle for regulating the height of the fluid in the receptaclewhereby the heater may be adjusted to operate at maximum efficiency.

A heater for heating a flowing fluid comprising a receptacle providedwith an inlet and an outlet opening, electric heating means within saidreceptacle, and rotatable means 'ithin said receptacle adjustable fromthe exterior thereof for regulating the height of the fluid in theheater whereby the heater may be adjusted to operate at maximumefficiency.

l0. A heater for heating a flowing fluid comprising a receptacleprovided with an inlet and an outlet opening, a cover for saidreceptacle, electric heating means within said receptacle supported bysaid cover and rotatable means within the receptacle adjustable from theexterior thereof for regulating the height of fluid in the receptaclewhereby the heater may be adjusted to operate at maximum efficiency.

ll. A heater for heating a flowing fluid comprising a receptacleprovided with an inlet and an outlet opening, a cover for saidreceptacle, a plurality of positive and negative electrodes disposedwithin said receptacle and supported by said cover and rotatable meansadjustable through said cover for regulating the height of fluid in thereceptacle whereby the heater may be adjusted to operate at maximumefficiency.

l2. A heater for heating` a flowing fluid comprising a tubularreceptacle having an inlet and an outlet opening, a cover for saidreceptacle supporting electric heating means longitudinally disposedwithin the receptacle, and rotatable means longitudinally disposedwithin the receptacle and adjustable from the exterior thereof' toregulate the height of fluid in the receptacle whereby a neat, compactstructure capable of being adjusted to operate at maximum efficiency isprovided.

13. A heater for heating a flowing fluid comprising a receptacleprovided with an inlet and an outlet opening, a cover for saidreceptacle supporting a plurality of positive and negative electrodesdisposed within the receptacle, one of said electrodes acting as aterminal rod and as a supporting means for a structure supporting thelower ends of the electrodes, and means within said receptacleadjustable from the exterior thereof for regulating the height of fluidin the receptacle whereby the heater may be adjusted to operate atmaximum efhciency.

14. A heater for heatinga flowing fluid comprising a tubular receptaclehaving an outlet and an inlet opening in the bottom thereof, a cover forthe top of the receptacle supporting a plurality of positive andnegative electrodes longitudinally disposed within the receptacle and apair of tubes, one within the other and one rotatably adjustablerelative to the other by means extending through the cover to regulatethe height of fluid in the receptacle.

15. A heater for heating a flowing fluid comprising a receptacle havingan inlet and an outlet opening, a cover for said receptacle, electricheating means disposed within the receptacle and supported from thecover thereof, and means within the receptacle adjustable by meansextending through the cover for regulating the height of fluid in thereceptacle.

1G. A. heater for heating a flowing fluid comprising a tubularreceptacle having an inlet and an outlet opening, electric heating meanslongitudinally disposed within said receptacle, a chamber on one side ofsaid receptacle, means Within the chamber Co1nmunicating with the outletopening in the bottom of the receptacle and adjustable from the exteriorand top of the receptacle to regulate the height of fluid therein.

17. A heater for heating a flowing fluid Comprising a receptacle havingan inlet and an outlet opening, eleetrio heating means within thereceptacle and means Within the receptacle adjustable from the exteriorthereof for regulating the height of Huid flowing through thereceptacle, said means being also adjustable to regulate the rate of Howthrough the receptacle when the heater is substantially filled.

18. A fluid heater comprising a receptaole having an inlet and an outletopening, eleotrio heating means within the receptacle and means Withinthe receptacle rotatably adjustable from the exterior thereol forregulating the height of Huid in the receptacle, said means being alsoadjustable to regulate the rate of flow through the receptacle When theheater is operating at sul stautially its full capacity.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

HARRY W. DENHARD. lVitnesses JOHN B. OLIVER, F. E. FARMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner ox. Patents, Washington, D. C.

